Kevin Duffy: Waiting for the day when gay athlete is no longer news

Updated 12:39 am, Tuesday, April 30, 2013

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FILE - APRIL 29, 2013: In a Sports Illustrated story NBA center Jason Collins came out, becoming the first openly gay active player in major sports April 29, 2013. ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 05: Jason Collins #34 of the Atlanta Hawks against the San Antonio Spurs at Philips Arena on April 5, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) less

FILE - APRIL 29, 2013: In a Sports Illustrated story NBA center Jason Collins came out, becoming the first openly gay active player in major sports April 29, 2013. ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 05: Jason Collins #34 of ... more

Photo: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

Kevin Duffy: Waiting for the day when gay athlete is no longer news

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Eventually, the day will come when Tim Tebow news goes uninterrupted, when an athlete's sexuality is no longer a story.

The timeline, we hope, will unfold like this: It's 2014, and Tebow has just finished his first year as Jacksonville Jaguars tight end. The guys on ESPN are fired up. Somewhere between "Tim Tebow is transcending the tight end position" and "Tim Tebow is a bona-fide scrub," there's a short break. The network airs a two-minute segment about a pro baseball player who has announced he's gay.

Then back to Tebow.

It's 2016, and Tebow just bombed on "Dancing with the Stars." I'm talking some cringe-worthy dance moves. The Worldwide Leader is at it again.

"Tim Tebow doesn't need this. He's not a dancer. He is the most clutch tight end in NFL history!"

"Skip, it pains me to say this, but Timothy Tebow -- your guy -- is flat-out revolutionizing the art of modern dance!"

Across the bottom-screen ticker, there's a blurb about the latest NBA player to come out. There's nothing more. No discussion, no special segments.

Just non-stop Tebow.

This is the direction I hope we're headed. Less news about gay athletes, more Tebow. All Tebow, all the time.

Because, when you think about it, an athlete's sexuality shouldn't be a huge deal. Maybe someday it won't.

But today it certainly is. Jason Collins, who played with the Washington Wizards this past season, wrote an essay for Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active male player in the four major American professional sports to go public as a gay man.

Tebowmania was justifiably put on pause. This was a huge story, a watershed moment for sports in our country. Hopefully, it'll impact the future.

I hope Collins is accepted by his teammates next season. I hope he's not treated any differently -- either positively or negatively -- than he was during his first 12 years in the league. And I hope that a normal life as a gay professional basketball player can inspire others.

I'm sure leading a double-life -- pretending to be something you're not -- is insanely stressful. It's a burden no person should be forced to carry.

"Imagine you're in the oven, baking," Collins wrote in Sports Illustrated. "Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know. I baked for 33 years."

Immediately after Sports Illustrated published the story, athletes voiced their support. Former Orlando Magic centerJohn Amaechi, who came out after his retirement in 2007, said, "Society couldn't hope for a more eloquent and positive role model."

Kobe Bryant tweeted "Proud of (Collins). Don't suffocate who you are because of the ignorance of others."

Wizards guard Martell Webster tweeted his thoughts with a dash of humor: "You have made sports what they should be, and that's `open.' Proud of you for being you. That jumpshot is still weak lol."

Webster jokes, but there's some truth to it. Collins is a 34-year-old free agent who averaged 1.1 points and one rebound per game this past season. There's a chance that Collins -- gay, straight or asexual -- won't land another contract.

If it plays out that way, I hope people realize NBA teams often prefer a young post player to a guy in his mid-30s. I hope the general public doesn't conclude that NBA teams prefer straight players to gay ones.

Maybe I'm optimistic, but I'd like to think that an overwhelming majority of athletes would be accepting today. I'd like to think the criteria for a teammate doesn't include sexuality. If you can play, and if you're willing to put everything on the line for your team, you should be welcomed.

Hell, you should be embraced.

If Collins is indeed embraced by an NBA team, he'll be a celebrity, for sure. He's lived his NBA life in relative anonymity, but he'll receive vast media attention for the remainder of his career. I just hope the media doesn't make a spectacle of this, thus discouraging additional gay athletes from being true to themselves.

I hope that after Collins, the next guy receives a little less attention. And the guy after him receives even less.

It's a long process, and Collins' courage marks progress. Hopefully someday, our society will reach a point in which gay athletes are simply considered "athletes." I envision it like this: It's 2023, and Tim Tebow -- the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator/part-time Goose-back (a position he invented) -- has just hosted the first episode of his new reality show. Naturally, ESPN is freaking out. There's a three-hour special. Then there's one hour of highlights from the special. Then a half-hour of bloopers.

Sometime during the Tebowthon, a pro football player comes out. There's no big cover story, no mention of it on TV or on the internet. That player -- and his team -- go about business as usual.

It's not news because our society no longer cares. We've realized that sexual orientation doesn't define you as a person or athlete.

We've realized that only one thing is deserving of television coverage: Two guys furiously screaming at each other about Tim Tebow.